36: Chapter 36 The Record of Emperor Taizu's Ascension to Immortality

Night deepened, and the lights in the pavilion went out one by one, leaving only two dim lanterns swaying in the wind before the door.

Going from a mountain lord who gathered followers, ate meat in big chunks, and drank wine in big bowls, to a house slave guarding the gate whose life and death were in the hands of others—the disparity was indeed quite large.

Fortunately, it was the Xiushan Princes Mansion.

Having absorbed Lin Shou's memories, Chen Fan had a clearer understanding of his new identity.

As a personal guard of the Xiushan Princes Mansion, the treatment wasn't bad, especially for a Martial Artist, who was viewed with higher regard.

Not only was there independent accommodation, but a monthly stipend to Cultivate was also provided. Although it wasn't much, for an ordinary Martial Artist, it was a rare resource.

This was also the reason why many in the Jianghu racked their brains to seek refuge with noble and powerful families.

Of course, there was a prerequisite for all of this.

The Great Shang Dynasty had a prohibition strictly forbidding noble and powerful families, including princes and marquises, from keeping high-grade Martial Artists.

Just like this magnificent Xiushan Princes Mansion, the strongest combat power on the surface was merely the fifth-grade head steward who was only responsible for the Prince of Xiushan's safety.

The night watch duty was boring and long.

Chen Fan stood under the corridor, motionless, like a stone statue.

He took this opportunity to familiarize himself with this new body named Lin Shou, as well as the insignificant bit of Ninth-grade Internal Energy within it.

One word: weak.

It was far worse than the Eighth-grade Internal Energy of Black Wind Demon.

However, having some was better than having none.

Inside the pavilion, it was deathly silent. Occasionally, a maid would carry a water basin in or out, all with their heads bowed and footsteps extremely light, for fear of disturbing the mistress inside who had already been abandoned by the Prince of Xiushan.

Through the half-open window lattice, Chen Fan could occasionally catch a glimpse of the Princess Li Ronger.

She sat quietly in front of the dressing table, sitting for hours at a time, like a puppet that had lost its Soul.

Gone was the stubbornness of refusing to yield on Black Wind Mountain, and gone was the nobility of being a princess. What remained was only a piece of dead, gray decay.

Chen Fan watched, and suddenly felt that this woman was indeed attractive.

Stripped of all status and halo, in all fairness, this woman indeed had a unique charm.

It was a charm precipitated by years of living in luxury, a sense of a mature woman, now coupled with that brokenness and despair, which added an even more pitiful temptation.

And most importantly, he hadn't noticed it before, but he noticed it now.

There was a sense of a married woman about the Princess Li Ronger, which was very alluring.

A thought flashed through Chen Fan's mind without warning.

"If I had known she would end up like this, I should have just taken her that day on the mountain. Anyway, for her, the ending would be the same, and I could have enjoyed myself."

As soon as this thought arose, he forcibly extinguished it.

"How base."

Chen Fan cursed himself in his heart.

Although he was not a good person, taking advantage of others, and acting against a woman who had been drugged—he could not do such a thing. This was his bottom line as a human being.

A skin that could be discarded at any time, changing back and forth—if one couldn't even keep their original heart, how was that any different from a walking corpse.

He could go with the flow, but he could not lose his original heart.

...

In the second half of the night, someone finally came to change shifts.

Chen Fan followed Zhang Cheng, walked through several corridors, and headed toward the courtyard where the personal guards of the Xiushan Princes Mansion lived.

"Did you hear? Something was found in the library!"

"What thing?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I heard it from a servant next to the Head Steward Wang. What was stolen was the taizus record of ascension of our Zheng Imperial Clan!"

"What? Could it be the legendary secret classic that records how the Taizu Emperor achieved Ascension in broad daylight and attained Immortal Ascension?"

"Isn't that right! This is a huge matter! No wonder the Prince of Xiushan has been so angry these past few days!"

Passing by a martial arts arena, the whispers of several guards who had just finished their shift and gathered together drifted into Chen Fan's ears without missing a word.

Imperial secret classic, taizus record of ascension.

The secret of the Great Shang Taizu Emperor's Immortal Ascension.

Chen Fan's footsteps paused imperceptibly.

So that was it.

The White Lotus Sect went to great lengths, kidnapping the Princess Li Ronger, framing Black Wind Mountain, and causing such a big commotion—their real goal was actually this.

A secret classic related to Cultivate.

This pool of water was much deeper than he had imagined.

He was now at the very center of this huge vortex.

A Ninth-grade Martial Artist, a small personal guard of the Xiushan Princes Mansion—one mistake, and he would be stirred to pieces.

"What are you thinking about? Let's go." Zhang Cheng urged.

Chen Fan came back to his senses and followed silently.

The next day, just as the sky was dawning, Chen Fan was sent to that pavilion again.

Today's atmosphere was even more oppressive than yesterday's.

Not long after, a maid delivering breakfast ran out with a tearful face, carrying a tray that had barely been touched.

"It's bad! The Princess Li Ronger... the Princess Li Ronger refuses to eat!"

Upon hearing this, the managing nanny in the courtyard stamped her feet in anxiety.

"At such a critical moment, nothing else can go wrong!"

Several nannies and maids rushed into the pavilion. Before long, the sound of plates breaking and the panicked persuasive voices of women came from inside.

But everything was in vain.

The managing nanny ran out, sweating profusely, and saw Chen Fan and Zhang Cheng standing at the door.

She seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and rushed to the two of them in a few steps.

"You two were sent by the Prince of Xiushan to guard. If anything happens to the Princess Li Ronger, you won't be able to escape responsibility!"

"Hurry! Hurry and think of a way to persuade the Princess Li Ronger!"

Zhang Cheng's face collapsed instantly.

What kind of joke was this? The domestic affairs of the Prince of Xiushan and the Princess Li Ronger were things that servants like them could interfere with?

He just wanted to open his mouth to decline, but the nanny didn't care about anything else and pushed Chen Fan, who was next to him, out.

"You! Yes, that's you! You go in!"

The nanny pointed at Chen Fan and said urgently: "You are a newcomer, the Princess Li Ronger doesn't recognize you, maybe... maybe she will listen to your advice!"

Chen Fan was pushed into a stagger, his face full of astonishment.

This pot, just like that, was thrown onto his head?

"Nanny, this is against the rules..."

"What rules or not rules! Is this the time to talk about rules? If something happens to the Princess Li Ronger, we will all lose our heads!"

The nanny didn't give him a chance to refuse, pushing and shoving him toward the door of the pavilion.

Chen Fan was speechless for a moment.

He looked at the closed door, then at the group of helpless servants around him who took him as a savior, and sighed in his heart.

Forget it, sticking one's head out is a cut, and shrinking one's head is also a cut.

He straightened his robes, walked to the door with a hardened scalp, and raised his hand to knock.

"Princess Li Ronger, excuse me."

After speaking, without waiting for a response from inside, he pushed open the door.

A heavy smell of medicine mixed with the sour, rotten smell of food rushed toward him.

The room was in a mess.

On the ground were overturned plates and broken porcelain shards.

The Xiushan Princess Li Ronger was leaning against the bed in despair, clutching a sharp piece of porcelain tightly in her hand, pressing it against her wrist.

She hadn't slept all night, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, and her originally plump cheeks were now so thin that she looked unrecognizable.

Hearing the movement, she slowly raised her head, her hollow eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Get out."

Her voice was as dry as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

Chen Fan didn't move.

He scanned the mess on the floor and finally fixed his gaze on the food box that was still intact.

He walked over, bent down to open the food box, and took out a bun that was still warm.

Then, holding the bun, he walked step by step toward the woman who was full of the will to die.

Princess Li Ronger looked at him vigilantly, and the hand holding the porcelain shard tightened a bit more.

Chen Fan stopped three steps away from her, without saying any words of comfort, and without trying to snatch the porcelain shard from her hand.

He just raised the bun in his hand and said in the most indifferent tone.

"Princess Li Ronger, people are iron, food is steel."

"Even if you want to die, you have to be a well-fed ghost, right?"